Interior collar tearing strip container with reclosure holding means



INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS April 24, 1956 N. J. ANDERSEN INTERIOR COLLAR TEARING STRIPCONTAINER WITH RECLOSURE HOLDING MEANS Filed May 26. 1.953

INTERIOR COLLAR TEARING STRIP CONTAINER WITH RECLOSURE HOLDING MEANSNorbeth J. Andersen, San Mateo, Calif., assignor to American CanCompany, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application May26, 1953, Serial No. 357,410

2 Claims. (Cl. 22o-54) The present invention relates to improvements inintcrior collar Itearing strip cans and has particular reference to animproved and economical lug and recess locking connection :between thereclosure and collar portions of the cans. t

In interior collar tearing strip cans heretofore in use, removal of thetearing strip leaves the top end member or cover and the severed portionof the body attached thereto as 'a depending skirt which serves as areclosure in cooperation with Ithe collar. Usually this reclosure memberhas a mere loose slip lit with the collar, with the result that the topend member becomes unseated during removal of the tearing strip andagain during its subsequent use as .a reclosure. Where the contentsofthe can are of a powdery or ground nature such as coffee,l

accidental unseating or displacement of the top end memi) ber and lateras a reclosure often results in objectionable spilling of the contents.

Attempts at partial solution Iof the unseating problem have been made asin United States Patent 1,725,957,

issued August 27,; 1929, to'Herry Craver, wherein the the problem ofcontents spilling during the removal of the-strip. A further attempt topartially solve this problem has been made in United States Patent2,355,108, issued August 8, 1944, to Garland W. Reese wherein lugs inthe can cover itself interlock with a hem on the inside ot' the collar.However -this construction requires an expensive cover of extra deepcountersink which is diicult 4to manufacture.

An object of the invention is the complete and etective solution ofthese problems by Ithe provision of an interior collar tearing strip canwhere-in the reclosure portion to :be severed by the removal of the4tearing strip already or initially locked in place on the collar toprevent its accidental displacement during removal of 4the tearing stripand also has a resilient locking function during each subsequentreclosure operation.

Another object is the provision of such an improved can wherein theresilient locking connection Ebetween the reclosure Iand collar portionsof the can comprises simple but effective projecting lugs in one -of theportions and an annular groove or recess in the other of the portions sothat the reclosure may be readily snapped land locked over ,the collarwithout undue attention being required 4to the peripheral location of`the lugs and the groove.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the inven tion will be apparentas it .is better unders-tood from the following description, which,taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses apreferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sealed interior collar `tearing`strip can embodying the instant invention, with ICC a portion of thecan body broken away'to illustrate the interior collar;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of the upperportion of the can, the View being taken substantially along a verticalplane indicated by the lines 2--2 in Fig. l; I f

3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the tearing strip of the canremoved 'and illustrating the lreclosure member thus produced, disposedin a displaced -relation to the collar; and v Fig. 4l is a horizontalsectional view taken substantially along the line 4 4 in Fig. 2.-

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the stant invention thedrawings illustrate a cylindrical sheetmetal tearing ystrip can of thecharacter `disclosed in the-` UnitedStates Patent 1,725,957 mentionedabove.

Such a cancomprises a tubular body 11. (Fig. 1) having a side seam 12and top and lbottom countersunk panel end members 14, 15 permanentlysecured to the ends of' the body'in suitable seams, such as double seams16, 17,*v produced by interfolding flange portions of the body andrAdjacent its upper end and in spaced` relation to the top kend seam 16,Ithe body 11 is pro-v the end members.

vided with 'a pair of spaced .and parallel score lines 18 (Figs. l and2) which extend entirely around 4the bodyy and which set off betweenthem in the body wall a removable tearing strip 19.k At the body'A sideseam 12,V the tearing strip 19 terminates in a tongue 21 (Fig. 1) whichextends beyond lthe side seam in overlappingy relation to the body forthereception 4of a winding key or other instrumentality to Abe utilizedin tearing out or winding up the strip 19 to open the can. f

The tearing strip area of the body preferably is :backedup -by a sheetmetal tubular internal collar 25 which t-ts snugly within the can 'body111 in engagement with the inner face of lthe body wall.

permanently locks the collar in place in the canbody 1'1.` The upperterminal edge of the collar1;25 isfpreferablyformed `with an inwardlyextending curl 28 (Figs. 2 and 3) which provides a smooth rounded edgefor the collar. The curl 28 preferably engages -against or may be spacedslightly below the inner face of the countersunk panel of the top endmember 14 as best shown in Fig. 2.

Intermediate the upper score line 18 in the vbody 11 and the curl 28 ofthe collar 25, the collar is formed with an inwardly extending annular:bead 29 (Figs. 2 and 3) which provides on the outer face of the collaran annular, shallow, arcuate or curved bottom, groove or recess 31 whichextends entirely around the collar. This groove 31 in the collar 25 isdisposed directly opposite to and receives a plurality of peripherallyspaced inwardly projecting locking lugs or projections 32 formed in thewall of the body 11 intermediate the upper score line 18 and the top endseam 16. The drawing preferably shows three -of these locking lugs 32equally spaced around the periphery of the body 11. The contour ofthelugs 32 preferably is of the same curvature as the curved bottom of thegroove 31 so as Ito nest or snugly interlock with the groove. Thus thecollar 25 as initially assembled with the can is locked in placepermanently adjacent its lower edge by the body bead 27 and temporarilyadjacent its upper edge lby the interengagement of the body lugs 32 withthe collar groove 31.

Hence when the tearing strip 19 is torn out of the body 11 by theconsumer to open the can, a reclosure member 35 (Fig. 3) is producedwhich comprises the top end member 14, the top end seam 16, and theupper severed Patented Apr. 24, 1956- K The height of the collar` 25 issucient to span the width ofthe tearing strip 19J portion of thewall ofthe body 11 which depends from the top seam 16 and constitutes a shortreclosure skirt 36 (Fig. 3). The depending skirt portion 36 of thesevered reclosure 35 contains the spaced locking lugs 32 as shown inFig. 3. Since these lugs 32 are initially in locking position in thecollar groove 31, they retain the reclosure 35 in position on the collar2S during remov-al of the tearing strip 19 and thereby prevent spillingof the contents of the can 4through accidental unseating or displacementof the reclosure from the collar.

Upon complete removal of the tearing strip 19 from the body 11, thesevered reclosure member 35V may `be readily pulled off the collar 25 bysnapping the lockinglugs 32 upwardly out of the collar groove 3,1 asshown in Fig. 3` to gain access to` the contents of the can. No turningor rotating of the reclosure member is necessary. In a similar mannerthe reclosure member 35 may be readily reapplied to the can by placingthe reclosure member over the collar 25 and snapping the locking lugs 32back into locking engagement with the collar groove L 31 without payingany attention to any particular alignment between the rcclosurelugs 32and the collar groove 31. Thereclosure member 35 thus. serves to reclosethe container with a tight fitting top which is locked in positionagainst accidental displacement. groove 31 extends entirely around thecollar 25, the reclosure member 35. may be reapplied to the collarwithout any regard for the relative` peripheral alignment of the lugswith other portions of the can. The lugs readily snap into the grooveanywhere around its periphery. While the described container isespecially suitable for products such as powdered or ground coffee,powdered milk, etc., it has of course many other uses.

It is thought that the invention and many of its -attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may -be made in the form, construction andarrangement oi the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the formherein-before described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

l. A tearing strip container,` comprising a body having an end membersecured thereto in an end seam, spaced score -lines extending aroundsaid body to dene a removable tearing strip for severing the upper bodyportion including said end member for use as a reclosure for Since thelocking the container, a collar member having an inwardly extendingannular groove therein secured -to the inner wall of said body with saidgroove disposed above said score lines, and a plurality of peripherallyspaced inwardly projecting locking lugs on said upper severable bodyportion, said lugs being resiliently seated in said collar groove tohold said body portion against inadvertent displacement from said collarmember during removal of said tearing strip to prevent spilling of thecontainer contents, said locking lugs on `the thus severed upper bodyportion being there-after resiliently engageable at random with the thusexposed peripheral collar groove when said severed body portion andsecured end member is employed as a tightly Iitting reclosure for thecontainer.

2. A tearing strip container, comprising a body having an imperforateend member secured thereto in an end seam, spaced score lines extendingaround said body to define therebetween a removable tearing strip forsevering the upper body portion including said end member for use as areclosure for the container, an` interior collar having an inwardlyextending annular arcuate groove therein secured to the inner wall ofsaidl body with said groove disposed above said score lines, the upperend of said collar terminating in an inwardly curled seat for said endmember, and a plurality of peripherally spaced inwardly projectingcurved locking lugs on said upper severable body portion, said lugsbeing resiliently seated in said collar groove to hold said body portionagainst inadvertent displacement from said collar during removal of saidtearing strip to prevent spilling of the container contents, saidlocking lugs on the thus severed upper body portion being thereaterresiliently engageable at random with the thus exposed peripheral collargroove in any relative circumferential position thereof when saidsevered body portion and secured end member is employed as a tightlyfitting slip reclosure for the container.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,725,957 Craver Aug. 27, 1929 1,981,864 Hothersall Nov. 27L 19342,286,508 Rheinfels June 16, 1942 2,355,108 Reese Aug. 8, 1944 2,536,044Erb Jan. 2, 19.51

